EXCLUSIVE: Relativity Media’s Halle Berry thriller Kidnap is now scheduled to be released on March 10, 2017. But Deadline also hears that the movie is being shopped around town to potential distributors. That news comes in the wake of Relativity today pulling Kidnap off its most recent December 2 release date.
Kidnap is directed by Luis Prieto and written by Knate Lee and follows a mother who is hellbent on rescuing her kidnapped son. We hear the test scores on the film have been quite high, in the realm of Berry’s The Call ($17.1 million opening, $51.9M domestic, $69M worldwide B.O.), particularly among African Americans. We understand Relativity was hoping to release the movie, but couldn’t get the P&A together for December 2. A trailer for Kidnap dropped in late August.
Relativity’s last two movies since it emerged from bankruptcy deep-sixed on the fall schedule: Masterminds ($17.4M) and The Disappointments Room ($2.4M), which earned a D CinemaScore.
Deadline reported last month that Relativity was desperately trying to refinance and could be approaching a Chapter 7 (liquidation) filing before the end of the year; also that Lionsgate was kicking the tires on the studio’s 40-title-plus library.
The absence of Kidnap on December 2 currently leaves the Blumhouse High Top horror title Incarnate standing as the sole wide release in the slow period that follows the Thanksgiving/Black Friday stretch. Should Kidnap not be snapped up by a new distributor and remain at Relativity, it will face off with Warner Bros/Legendary’s Kong: Skull Island on March 10.
